United Wins Renegade Match

The Texas Pro Soccer Festival near San Antonio is not off to a good start.

Get this:

Disgusted with the width (57 yards?) and general condition of the field to be used in the tournament, D.C. United and Chivas USA agreed to go their own way this morning and play each other on an acceptable training pitch. Both sides used first-team players.

United won, 2-1, on goals by Luciano Emilio (assisted by Marcelo Gallardo) in the first half and Franco Niell late in the game.

The regularly scheduled game tonight will go on as scheduled, but with reserves.

United will participate in the planned matches Friday night and Sunday afternoon. Since the regulars were probably going to be held out anyway in anticipation of the Champions' Cup opener next Wednesday, the reserves will play most of the minutes.

Sounds like the TPSF is a first-class event. They can't find location around San Antonio with a pitch that's 70 yards wide? And they didn't anticipate this would be a problem when the big boys came to play?

So, are the first teamers going to play anything else except for scrimmages? While I'm happy if they don't get injured before enxt week, I'm still a little leery (today's win notwithstanding) of how they'll do in a rusty state versus Harbour View

I think most everyone is as relieved as I am about this....more who scored and how than the result. Not that I doubted they'd get on track but I'm hoping they do it before game 4 like last year....particularly with non-MLS games coming up first!

Why on earth am I so happy to find out the details of a meaningless preseason scrimmage? I guess this has been an exciting off season, but still, it occured to me as I was eagerly reading about the scrimmage that I really need to get a life!

The most bizarre thing is that, even knowing that it is a meaningless preseason scrimmage, I still really appreciated finding out what happened.

I'm not in the tiniest bit surprised at this. When the event was first announced, I looked the stadium up on a website for Texas HS stadia. The site included pictures. It looked terrible. I dunno what the people who organized this event were thinking.

Dunno what that lone building is on Elbel Rd., but that vacant area (backyard?) on the northwest corner of Elbel and Roy Richard looked like it was big enough for a soccer pitch -- a couple of goals, some corner flags, and voila! Instant Texas renegade match.

what i don't get is why DC passed up the Charleston tournament they've done for the past couple years and agreed to play in this one without realizing what they're getting into.

wouldn't they have done some scouting of the training facilities there before planning to spend a significant chunk of their preseason there? or at least have specified in the contract some minimum conditions that the field must meet?

what i don't get is why DC passed up the Charleston tournament they've done for the past couple years and agreed to play in this one without realizing what they're getting into.
wouldn't they have done some scouting of the training facilities there before planning to spend a significant chunk of their preseason there? or at least have specified in the contract some minimum conditions that the field must meet?
Posted by: pat | March 5, 2008 04:47 PM

From an interview with Soehn that I read somewhere... They chose to participate in the San Antonio tournament because the weather and field conditions is more similar to what they will be experiencing in Jamaica.

WHO ON EARTH is MLS dealing with to be putting two of their teams on a pitch not previously examined?!?! It seems to be a norm for MLS to just wing it and play anywhere at any time. HELL this season 2 "pro" teams are playing WITHOUT STADIUMS in the Earthquakes and Kansas City. Oh and Seattle is coming into the league to play on a surface that later in the season will be certain to be convered with gridiron lines. This makes me sick!

- The final whistle goes and after there only being two penalty shootouts outside the final in UEFA Champions League history before last night there has now been two in as many days. With the tie standing at 1-1 on aggregate Porto and Schalke follow FenerbahÃ§e SK and Sevilla FC in deciding who goes to the quarter-finals on penalties.

I remember the national youth championships being played at Woodbridge High School, maybe in the early 90s, before they had a more formalized and organized tournament. Although there was new grass, the sideline sloped...because of the 4 ft x 4 ft drainage ditch. Classy.

As a member of the Host Committee for the 1990 Youth National Championships, I remember how much time was spent on selecting the right site. Had to factor in parking, seating capacity, proximity to hotels (this was 17.5 years ago, remember) among other things. Today there are a variety of locations we could use. But not in 1990.

Just defending the honor of dozens of volunteers who gave up 8 months of their lives to host a darn good event...

A 57 yd wide pitch? Thats unbelieveable. From the satellite photo it appears like any regular high school football field with a running track around it. Even for HS soccer these fields are narrow and adversely effect the better skilled teams. I can't imagine that nobody bothered to take this into consideration prior to the arrival of the clubs to play. Its such rank amateurish planning that Chivas and United were right to go elsewhere to play. I guess they found another acceptable pitch. Why wasn't that one selected in the first place?

This I know is wayyyyy off topic but maybe someone can help me understand why all of the scousers want Hicks and Gillet to sell the team to DIC? Is it because once again they are not in the top 2? Because to me it seems like they have given Rafa enough money to go out and get the guys he wants. They got Torres, Bable, Voronin (where has he been?), Beneyon, Skertle and Lucas. I think its just that Rafa hasnt got the best out of the team minus the past few games haha.

Also Hicks and Gillet got them a new stadium.Am I not seeing the reason why the fans want new owners? Is this gonna be just because they are American and Pool fans won't care after they win a title like at Man U?

one blogger's account of Pia-Ball from Portugal; sounds awesome; looking forward to Germany final --

"Possession was the name of the game and they played it well. One touch passes ping-ponged around the pitch, starting at the back and working their way through the midfield to the forwards. There was the occasional long ball thrown in, just to keep China guessing, but the U.S. dominated the match exploring the angles of the pitch with short passing.

After the game, Abby Wambach was pleased with the team's performance.

"The first half of that game is one of the best halves we've played in a long time, not even these past four games, but the past couples years. Things are starting to feel right, where it's not a struggle. We're learning how to play the game in angles, " she said."

This I know is wayyyyy off topic but maybe someone can help me understand why all of the scousers want Hicks and Gillet to sell the team to DIC? Is it because once again they are not in the top 2? Because to me it seems like they have given Rafa enough money to go out and get the guys he wants. They got Torres, Bable, Voronin (where has he been?), Beneyon, Skertle and Lucas. I think its just that Rafa hasnt got the best out of the team minus the past few games haha.

Also Hicks and Gillet got them a new stadium.Am I not seeing the reason why the fans want new owners? Is this gonna be just because they are American and Pool fans won't care after they win a title like at Man U?

I don't know too much, but i'll try and help you, Matt. I don't know all the reasons why the fans hate Hicks & Gillette, but they never liked them ever since they both came out and said they were trying to get Juergen Klinnsman to come coach. There are constant rumors in the papers and such about how the owners don't like Rafa and want him to go. Now it looks like they are trying to sell the club to make some quick profit. That's as far as my knowledge goes.

Voronin has been out for awhile because of an ankle injury, but he's just now started to get back into training.

San Antonio has ample soccer fields of proper dimensions...most are clustered in two soccer complexes in the same part of town (northeast San Antonio):

1) Retama Park - at least a dozen full size pitches

2) Pepsi Soccer Park - between six and ten full size fields

Both complexes are similar in terms of playing surface. At the end of the day, what matters is whether they watered the pitches or not. My adult team played at both places - both can be hard as a rock if left unattended. Then again, because in San Antonio the only way you get grass is by actively watering, they by default take better care of their fields that we do here is Virginia where we essentially leave them to fallow, shrug our shoulders and assume the gods will ensure adequate water and grass (never works, it seems). On the whole, they have better fields in Texas than here.

It must be something with the promoter or organizer. Shame it is so low-class.

Ya, saw that German women lost. Sounds like they have their own GK controversy now -- young star they rode to WWC title versus old star. Too bad if US doesn't get to play them in Algarve, since the road to Olympic gold almost surely goes through them. Maybe USWNT can challenge them to a pick-up game in a local park like DCU/Chivas. Also saw that Barnhart got the start for US v China but wasn't tested.

I was at the games last night and while the field at Steele High School wasn't great, it's not the worst I've seen, either.

Let me put it to you guys this way:

According to one Dynamo official, they like the turf because of "similarities to various CONCACAF teams fields...allows players to be familiar with these conditions."

It was no Puntarenas (for those who don't remember...go check out the highlights...well, lowlights really), it was a green field and looked hard. Then again, it hasn't exactly been raining in the area lately,either. Kinda dry.

It is unfortunate you did not get the whole of the opinion on the field conditions in Cibolo at the Texas Pro Soccer Fest. When DC United saw the Steele field, it was not set up for soccer yet and being used for other school purposes. The field is actually over 70 yards wide (one of the reasons it was chosen) and was stripped that width for the game last night. Stephen, please feel free to change your article to the correct information.

The fields have also been over-seeded and watered in preparation for and anticipation of the event for the past 6 weeks. The rains this morning should also soften the field more. The field is green but does have a center field brown spot(the only one)- whereas in December, the field was half brown from the winter weather - basically dormant grass.

The other teams didn't have a problem with the field conditions. In fact, the team doctor found no problem with the field for play. Regardless, all the teams were aware this was a high school facility and that is in use during the day when they signed on for the tournament. Even so, the facility was in better condition last night than it was when it was approved for use by the teams in January.

It has been dry in south Texas and we are in the beginnings of a drought this year - strangely enough after last years flooding and torrential rains. Unfortunately, we do not control the weather.

Pepsi Soccer is a youth soccer facility. The fields are nice, but the facility is not built for viewing games outside of parents and siblings of the youth playing matches at that location, much less the ability to park, seat, feed, etc. masses of people for a pro soccer tournament.

With 6 weeks notice to pin down a location for the tournament, there were not many options that contained all the needs for a tournament of this size. Next year, that will change, with a new facility for continuing tournaments that contains all the needs for such.

And, lastly, all teams are aware this is a non-profit charitable event. Generally, it takes 6-12 months, not 6-weeks to prepare for such events. But, the Houston Dynamo asked and were delivered an event in Cibolo with Toronto FC, Chivas USA, and DC United signing on to play. (Most of the teams have have been great sportsmen.) That DC did not play their starters last night is their failure, not anyone else's. It is unfortunate. Houston Dynamo, Toronto FC, and Chivas USA were the real champs by really playing up their fans, especially the little miniature ones, dressed just like them. DC disappointed their Texas base by avoiding their fans at the game last night.

It's winter folks, even in south Texas. We even get snowfall once in a while. I'm thrilled the event hasn't been rained out like it would have been this time last year. I was really looking forward to this event with great enthusiasm - but this unfortunate article and the posted comments makes it plain you don't have the info you need to form a concise opinion.

Pro soccer has been known 'the accessible sport' - I like that about soccer. I hope DC remembers that in the future. A lot of people - fans, volunteers and sponsors are counting on them and the other teams to do their part in making this a successful event for youth soccer charities now and in the future.

Get your facts straight. First of all Retama Park doesnt even have active fields any longer and Pepsi Soccer Park (or what it is known now as Soccer International) is where the teams are training and are using four fields as practice fields. Its the best soccer complex in San Antonio and cannot be used for pro MLS matches - as there is no stadium seating, but its a nice venue for their training sessions.

Please make sure you have your facts. The terms that the teams requested of the festival was that only grass stadiums could be used. Since almost all of the large capacity HS stadiums are turf there really arent that many venues that could work. The facility was toured and approved by the teams. Why is it that DC United has a problem with the field and using their 1st team, when Toronto FC and Houston have had no problem playing their A Team - Ching scored 2 goals in the first match and DeRo scored one v. Chivas tonight.

San Antonio is a football town and almost every field is torn up and in bad condition. If there was a better option - I would assume that it would have been used. The field is NOT 57 yards wide, its closer to 67-68. Plus after seeing both the practice facility and being in the stands its much longer than the practice fields, which makes for a much better match.

As a Houston Dynamo Fan - I am anxiously waiting for the DC/Houston match on Sunday morning and I will be sitting with the Texian Army watching the Dynamo beat DCU to win this new 4 team festival.

Honestly, I watched a group of little kids on Wednesday night with DCU jerseys along a fence waiting for a few players to sign autographs, and they stood by the fence watching their DC United players walking by ignoring them, and your "A" Team (who was in the stands in jeans) exiting the stadium by jumping the fence so they didnt have to deal with the fans. After reading this blog - I can see that not only do you have classless fans, you also have a classless team!

I applaud the Festival for putting on an event like this in only 6 wks and after talking with several members of the Dynamo management staff on Wed night, they were quite impressed with the organizing team and were quite happy with their accommodations and the festival. I hope that this festival can turn into an even bigger event in the next couple of years.

I can see that not only do you have classless fans, you also have a classless team!
Posted by: NJ | March 8, 2008 04:38 AM

I don't know where you were when you saw that, but I can tell you otherwise. I and a bunch of kids around middle school age went to a DC game and the players actually make an effort to come talk to all the fans, regardless of age. So either you're making it up or you saw a very scarce event.

I am actually the head coach at Steele HS. The field is not perfect by any means, but fine none the less. Is it narrow? Sure. It was lined at around 68 yards wide. The field itself was in pretty darn good shape. It was a little hard but with a bit of water it played nicely. The players seemed to adjust quickly and we were all able to see some good, competitive soccer.